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Glossary

This section explains terms that appear frequently in this manual and on screen.

A — F​

API​

Application Programming Interface. An agreed-upon contract that lets programs exchange data. This gateway exposes a REST API so external systems can read and write values.

bdSeq / seq​

Sequence numbers in Sparkplug B messages. Standard fields used to verify message loss and ordering. Ordinary users do not need to be concerned with them.

CIP​

Common Industrial Protocol. The base specification for EtherNet/IP communication.

CPU usage​

Shows, as a percentage, how much work the gateway PC is doing. Sustained values above 80% indicate a resource shortage.

Cassandra​

The time series / configuration store used by this gateway. Ordinary users never handle it directly.

EtherNet/IP​

The industrial communication specification used by Allen-Bradley / Rockwell PLCs. Standard port 44818.

FEnet​

Fast Ethernet. The communication specification used by LS ELECTRIC PLCs (XGI / XBC / XBM). Standard port 2004.

Formula (formula, expression)​

An arithmetic expression that post-processes a tag value. Written in a form such as ${VALUE}*0.1 and used for unit conversion, zero-point correction, and similar tasks. Other names: formula / expression — all refer to the same function. → Applying a formula

G — N​

Grafana​

A companion dashboard tool installed alongside the gateway. Visualizes collected values as graphs, gauges, and alarms. Default port 3000.

HTTP push​

Instead of the gateway "going out to read" values as it does with a PLC, an external system "pushes" values into the gateway.

MES​

Manufacturing Execution System. The plant's work-order and production-result management system.

MELSEC​

The communication specification for Mitsubishi PLCs (MC protocol). MELSEC = MELSEC Communication.

Modbus​

The oldest and most widely used industrial communication specification. Nearly every instrument and inverter supports it.

MQTT​

A lightweight IoT messaging specification. Well suited to sending values from one PLC to multiple systems simultaneously. Standard port 1883.

Node-RED​

A companion dataflow tool installed alongside the gateway. Lets you build data processing and external integrations visually. Default port 1880.

NodeId​

The tag address notation used by OPC-UA. Example: ns=2;s=Channel1.Device1.Tag1.

O — S​

OPC​

OLE for Process Control. The standard data exchange specification between PLCs and computers. It was once divided into OPC DA / HDA / AE, but has now been consolidated and standardized as OPC-UA.

OPC-UA​

OPC Unified Architecture. The latest OPC standard (IEC 62541). Supported by most SCADA systems, including Kepware and Matrikon.

PLC​

Programmable Logic Controller. The brain of factory automation — an industrial computer that controls sensors and actuators.

REST API​

An HTTP-based API style. This gateway's v1 REST API is exposed under the /api/v1/... path. → Advanced — REST API

SCADA​

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. A system that monitors and controls operations at plants, power stations, and similar facilities. Ignition and Wonderware are representative examples.

Sparkplug B​

An industrial messaging specification that standardizes lifecycle and metadata handling on top of MQTT. Recommended when communicating with SCADA or MQTT-compatible systems.

S7​

The communication specification for Siemens PLCs, used by the SIMATIC S7 series. Standard port 102.

T — Z, Korean terms​

TCP / UDP​

The basic modes of network communication. Generally, TCP offers better reliability and UDP is faster. Most PLC communication uses TCP.

TIA Portal​

Siemens PLC programming and management tool.

XG5000​

LS ELECTRIC PLC programming and management tool.

Gateway​

A device or software that connects different systems or networks and relays data between them. This system is the gateway between "field PLCs ↔ the PlantPulse cloud."

Time Series​

Data recorded in chronological order — values such as PLC readings gathered along a time axis as "what the value was, and when."

Auto start (auto_collect)​

Whether PLC collection restarts automatically when the gateway reboots.

Tag​

A human-readable name assigned to a single memory location in a PLC. Example: D100 → "Pump 1 speed".

Polling / collection interval​

The gateway periodically asking the PLC, "give me the current value." Typically 1 second (1000 ms).

Health Index​

An index expressing the health of equipment on a scale of 0–1 (or 0–100%). Used mainly by diagnostic solutions such as MotorSense.

2026.05 container deployment terms​

Container Mode​

The form in which PlantPulse Edge is deployed as a single Docker image (docker.kopens.io/pe/plantpulse-edge). Standard from 2026.05 onward. If systemctl is-active plantpulse-edge.service is active, the system is in container mode.

Native mode​

The direct-installation form used before 2026.05, operated with /opt/kopens/plantpulse-edge/bin/{start,stop,restart}.sh. Container mode is recommended for new deployments.

Image Tag / Build Date​

The container image identifier — in <version>-<build_date> format (for example, 2026-20260523). build_date is the reference for OTA comparison. Check it with /api/v1/system/version or cat /etc/kopens/version.env.

OTA (Over-The-Air upgrade)​

Remote upgrade. On the box, upgrade.sh detects a new build_date in META-INF/VERSION.JSON → docker pull → automatic pre-snapshot → systemctl restart → 90 s health probe → auto-rollback on failure.

Pre-snapshot​

A data backup created automatically immediately before an OTA upgrade (/data1/pp-backups/pe-backup-<ts>.tar.zst). If the new image causes data corruption, recovery is possible with restore.sh.

Pattern B (Signal File)​

A method for requesting host actions (restart / reboot / OTA) from inside the container. The container writes a /etc/kopens/upgrade.request or host-action.request JSON file, and inotify on the host detects and processes it. Compared with the alternative (Pattern A — direct use of /var/run/docker.sock), it avoids granting privileges equivalent to host root.

cgroup limit​

The container's memory and CPU ceilings — MemoryMax=12G CPUQuota=600% TasksMax=8192 in the systemd unit. On low-memory boxes such as 8 GB units, adjust them with a systemd drop-in (override.conf).

credentials.txt​

The set of random passwords generated once per box by install.sh (/etc/kopens/credentials.txt, chmod 0600). Includes admin / mqtt / opcua / API key. Print or store them at shipping time, then seal the box.

pe-* tools​

Eight operations scripts for container mode (/opt/kopens/install/bin/): status.sh (status), health.sh (exit-code health check), logs.sh (tail component logs), shell.sh (bash inside the container), config.sh (edit app.properties + restart), backup.sh/restore.sh (data snapshot / restore), doctor.sh (fault escalation tarball).